Snake Refused to Eat

[ArvadaLanee]

Last night I tried to feed the new snake. I gave her a f/t pinkie in her viv, (on a plastic container lid) at about 9:30 PM. I put a few cuts on it's side, and one on the top of it's head. When I woke up this morning she still hadn't eaten it. I assume the pinkie is no good now and I should throw it away, right? Should I offer her a new one tonight? Since she went 2 weeks between feedings last time, is it possible she's just not hungry yet because it's only been a week?

[hypnoctopus]

Yes, throw the old pinkie away. I would wait a few days before you try again, and this time put her in a small container to feed. Wait until the evening and then heat up the new pinkie really hot. Put it in with her and then leave her alone with it for an hour in a dark quiet place. If she still hasn't eaten it, reheat it really hot again, and leave her overnight with it.

Good luck!

[ArvadaLanee]

Okay. Thank you.

[13chase2]

I wouldn't get the pinky "really" hot because it could burn the snake she immediately grabs it. You just want it to be warm when you place it in the container with her. Another thing you can do is move it around the tank to make it look alive. My snake will become interested in the mouse it I slowly move it around in front of him. If I just drop the mouse in the tank he might or might not eat it. I would recommend using tweezers of forceps so your snake doesn't accidentally bite you.

[hypnoctopus]

Sometimes snakes who don't want to eat benefit from a really hot, or even boiled, pinkie. I would not worry about the snake hurting itself on an overly hot pinkie. And my older snakes all respond well to moving the mouse in front of them, but a shy non-feeder may actually be afraid of a moving mouse.

[ArvadaLanee]

Thanks. I have been warming the pinkies in very hot tap water, so I don't think they would be hot enough to burn her, but they are quite warm. I was considering moving the pinkie around, but I am not sure if I am supposed to just slowly wiggle it in her face, or just wiggle it off to the side until she sees it. Maybe I will try it out. I'm sure once I feed her more, I will figure out more about what she likes and doesn't like. Eventually, we will find a good rhythm. I just need more practice. :)

[hypnoctopus]

Has she eaten before? Like before you got her?

[ArvadaLanee]

I was told she was eating a f/t pinkie once a week. She did eat the first time I fed her, which was one week ago. She ate it in the middle of the night in her viv, which was why I thought I would just put the pinkie in there again, but this time it was still there in the morning. I will try again in a day or so.

[hypnoctopus]

Okay, that's good. Sometimes just placing the pinkie in the viv won't work because the snake may not find it or may not feel secure enough to eat. Putting her in a small container to eat ensures that she will find the pinkie. And if it's dark and quiet, she should feel safe enough to eat. So I would definitely try the method I mentioned first, and if that still doesn't work, you can start trying other tricks. She's eaten before, so she should eat again.

Here is a very good list of feeding tricks you can try if she still won't eat: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131573

[ArvadaLanee]

Just read it. What's with the dish soap? Do you put that on the pinkie? I am hoping I won't have to use it or anything, but it's still always good to know. I will use her critter keeper again next time, and keep it covered with a towel. Do you try to keep the feeding container warm somehow? Just curious if that might help a little.

[hypnoctopus]

The dish soap is basically just washing the pinkie with dish soap and leaving just a tiny bit of the suds on it before you offer it to the snake. And I don't worry about the warmth of the feeding container. (Although you wouldn't want it to be very cold.)

[ArvadaLanee]

Ahhhh. Okay. That's really interesting about the soap. It sounds like the start of a really cheesy joke about snakes liking their mice squeaky clean. Hahaha. I wonder why they like it. There is a lot more to these little guys then I realized. It's fascinating. I learn new things every day, and then I come up with 20 new questions.

[Nanci]

I'd just try her again in 3-4 days, with a pink as hot as your tap water will go. I'd try her in a deli cup, first, though. That way she can't go off and forget about it.

[ArvadaLanee]

Okay. Thanks for all the help, everyone. :)

[Afrederi]

Also, if you're afraid of the snake getting too cold you can always leave the feeding container (like a deli cup) in the vivarium.

[ArvadaLanee]

Yes. That seems perfectly reasonable, and kind of obvious. Lol. Why didn't I think of that?

[smigon]

Ahhhh. Okay. That's really interesting about the soap. It sounds like the start of a really cheesy joke about snakes liking their mice squeaky clean. Hahaha. I wonder why they like it. There is a lot more to these little guys then I realized. It's fascinating. I learn new things every day, and then I come up with 20 new questions.

LOL! Cute "cheesy" mouse joke!

And yes, SO much more to these guys than you ever thought before! I am 2 years into the hobby and still come up with questions almost daily, I love to answer questions too for those like you who are obviously interested in your new baby and willing to take suggestions and directions from others. You wouldn't believe the number of people on other forums that get offended when they ask a question and don't get the answer they want. :sidestep:

[ArvadaLanee]

Glad someone enjoyed my bad puns. Lol

I really do love learning about my animals. It's too bad I never made it to school for zoology like I always wanted, but that's never stopped me from learning what I can by reading, and asking questions. This is by far, my favorite of all the animal forums I'm on. I learn a lot here. I never get upset when I don't get the answer I want, but I admit, I am disappointed when I come up with an idea I think is good, and then I read an article, or ask on here, and realize, no, not so good after all. Recently I became curious about feeding snakes a varied diet, and whether or not that would have any health benefits. I was thinking about anoles and button quail eggs. Then I started reading about it, and realized it didn't sound very good at all. I certainly didn't like the sound of the overly stinky poo! I guess I shouldn't be disappointed in myself, since at least I read about things first, and don't just experiment on my animals and learn the hard way. I don't always agree with every piece of advice. For example, I have been advised against using a waterfall for humidity reasons, but I still believe I could get away with it for a few months in the winter since the air in our area gets so dry. I am still glad it was pointed out to me though, so I know to be careful and watch humidity levels. I always appreciate advice, but I learned from my experience in keeping fish, that you have to do your research, get more than one opinion, and ultimately, find what works for you. Luckily, I really enjoy the whole process. It seems like almost all snake owners do. One of the first things I learned on this site is that snake owners are like the crazy cat ladies of the reptile world! I love it. ;)